The Irish Ambassador to Israel has been called for a reprimand following Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s post about Irish-Israeli Emily Hand. 

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen posted on X, formerly Twitter, that following the “outrageous words” of Mr Varadkar about the release of Emily, he has “summoned the Irish Ambassador to Israel for a reprimand”. 

Following the release of nine-year-old Emily among the second group of hostages freed by Hamas, Mr Varadkar said in a statement and online post that it was a “a day of enormous joy and relief for Emily Hand and her family”. 

“An innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned, and our country breathes a massive sigh of relief.  Our prayers have been answered,” he said. 

The statement is believed to be a reference to The Parable of the Lost Son in the Bible: "For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found”. 

The online post, however, has been described as “misleading” in a community note added by X users. 

This is a day of enormous joy and relief for Emily Hand and her family. An innocent child who was lost has now been found and returned, and we breathe a massive sigh of relief. Our prayers have been answered.

— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) November 25, 2023

“The terms 'lost' and 'found' are misleading,” the community note said. 

“Emily was ‘lost’ when she was kidnapped from a kibbutz by Hamas terrorists. She was ‘found’ 50 days later when she was exchanged by Hamas for 3 Palestinian prisoners.” 

Mr Cohen also directly criticised the post online, saying “Emily Hand is not lost”. 

“Maybe you have lost your moral compass and your connection to reality,” he wrote. “Emily and 30 other Israeli children were kidnapped by Hamas, and you are trying to legitimise it”.

Israeli Ambassador Dana Erlich said, "words matter, especially in war when lives are at stake, and when there is an increase of extreme discourse".

"It is important to remember Emily was kidnapped by terrorists who knew very well where she was all this time - in their hands."

Emily was one of 17 Israeli hostages freed yesterday in the second day of a four-day truce between Israel and Hamas. 

After meeting the Red Cross in Egypt, she was brought to a hospital in Israel where she was reunited with her family. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of the Taoiseach have been contacted for comment.